Parenting Teen Drivers

Teen drivers were six times more likely to have a serious incident when there was loud conversation in the vehicle — to the point of needing to make an evasive maneuver to avoid a crash — and three times more likely to have a serious incident when there was horseplay in the vehicle.

Another important finding is that actions the driver alone controls – reaching, texting, using a phone and eating — seem less likely to lead to a serious incident than things they can’t control, like how others in the car behave.

“This is why the limit of one teen passenger is important when teens are just learning to drive,” said Foss. [emphasis mine]